It’s bad enough British comedian Russell Brand is painfully unfunny and a horrendous actor. But he crossed the line by causing emotional distress to American pop music goddess Katy Perry during their ill-fated marriage.

Therefore, in the spirit of nationalism, we should declare jihad against all things British, scale their embassy walls, rip down the Union Jack and replace it with a giant Katy Perry sign.

That’ll teach those limeys!

Don’t laugh. That mentality is exactly what our self-imposed masters, the radical Islamists, do whenever they are offended, declaring fatwas and engaging in jihad on a whim. And since civility is not in their vocabulary, their ceaseless complaining is always accompanied by deadly violence.

It’s no secret that Americans are their favorite targets. Just in the last week, they executed the American ambassador to Libya, stormed numerous embassies, and forced U.S. troops in Afghanistan to pull back because they are being attacked by the very people they had trained.

So what does America do to mitigate this threat? Everything except the only thing that will free us from our bondage, and that is to become energy independent.

Has it dawned on either party that this latest episode of Middle Eastern Terror Theatre has been brought to us by the very people whom we have sworn allegiance to by prostrating ourselves at the altar of Islamic Crude Oil?

Petroleum and natural gas are the most valuable substances on Earth, the lack of either would send our economy into collapse. Yet despite having the world’s largest reserves, America continues to ignore that Godsend, instead choosing to rely on, and pay top dollar to, the very same people who are rioting because a spoof film doesn’t depict Muhammad favorably.

Ironically, these fundamentalists are funded by the United States, through both foreign aid and trillions of American petro dollars — the greatest transfer of wealth in history.

The only thing more infuriating is the total lack of awareness among our elected officials, both presidential candidates, and the media. So more Americans will die trying to extinguish these flames that surely will reignite, and the real issue will not be addressed, let alone solved. Here’s what can be done to avoid a future conflagration:

1) Admit the truth. We are only involved because of our dependence on Middle Eastern oil barons to keep the crude spigots open. And since that flow of petroleum must be unimpeded, we are forced to maintain large diplomatic and military presences in that region, making us viewed as occupiers and swelling Islamic resentment.

Here’s a novel idea: if we drilled more domestically, we wouldn’t be bent over the Middle East oil barrel, and therefore, wouldn’t give a hoot about those countries. Evidence? Where was America when millions were massacred in the 1994 Rwandan genocide? Not in Rwanda, because it has no oil. Ditto for most conflicts. End of story.

2) America has engaged in armed conflict in no less than 10 Muslim countries in the last 15 years. Until America’s reliance on Middle Eastern oil is eliminated, more Americans will die in foreign lands “protecting” oil interests.

3) You can bet that if the U.S. and its gutless Euro allies had not deposed Moammar Gadhafi, Ambassador Chris Stevens would still be alive. Gadhafi was no angel, but out of self-preservation, he did everything America asked, so much so that he was praised by the Bush administration. But the U.S. fought the European’s oil war and armed the Eastern Libyans, who, we seem to forget, were the largest foreign fighting force in Iraq fighting Americans.

4) Stop trying to “democratize” the Islamic world. It will not happen. Not now, and probably not ever. That’s OK. Not all people need to be “democratized.” We have a tough enough time making democracy work here. How much more blood and treasure have to be expended before this is realized?

When the film "The Last Temptation of Christ" was released, many Christians were quite offended, but protested peacefully. Contrast that with the Muslim hordes who go bananas over a film almost none have seen. Is the film in bad taste? Sure. But is it worth indiscriminately killing Americans?

To the civilized, that question needs no answer. But the follow-up does. Why does America endanger its citizens by dealing with lunatics when such action is wholly avoidable?

The answer is anything but partisan. George H.W. Bush signed the moratorium on offshore drilling, and it took George W. seven years to unsuccessfully call for lifting that ban. So this is by no means just a Democratic problem. Both parties are equally complicit in jeopardizing America’s security.

Think about that the next time you fill up at $4/gallon, knowing your money is benefiting the very folks who have you in their crosshairs.

With energy independence nowhere in sight, you don’t have to be a prophet to see that America’s future is anything but a gas.

An accredited member of the media, Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, Friendly Fire Zone. Read more reports from Chris Freind — Click Here Now.

It’s bad enough British comedian Russell Brand is painfully unfunny and a horrendous actor. But he crossed the line by causing emotional distress to American pop music goddess Katy Perry during their ill-fated marriage.